Conventional communications cables with a supporting messenger are known in the art. It is particularly known to provide a figure-8 type copper aerial cable in which one portion of the cable is the supporting messenger portion and the other portion of the cable is the communications portion including optical fibers. Such an arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,983 which is incorporated herein by reference.
During installation, ends of the cable customarily need to be spliced together. Furthermore, communications elements may be routed from one communications cable to a plurality of additional communications cables, as required by individual signal paths. Invariably, such interconnection requires the separation of the messenger portion from the communications portion.
Separation of the messenger and communications portions has heretofore been accomplished with pocket knives, box cutters, razor blades, scalpels and other tools of dangerous implementation to various levels of imprecise results. Using such techniques has heretofore been accepted as involving necessary risks. These risks range from attenuated signal line loss all the way to complete signal loss and/or damage to the communications elements, or, even worse, lacerations and accidental incisions to the appendages of those installing the cable.